Program Vitality and Effectiveness
Guiding Principles of Program Improvement and Review: As professional educators our primary goal is to facilitate learning. We must have relevant, current programs and must establish program goals designed to prepare learners to achieve their educational goals. Northwest Technical College recognizes that, as an institution, we need to be accountable—to our learners, our employees, and to the broader community. Program review provides a structured, scheduled opportunity for a program to develop a strategy for improvement. The Review: - shows the relationship between the NTC Mission Statement and program;
- identifies the need for and value of each instructional program as well as the program’s effectiveness;
- defines the needs of the program so that the resources of the institution may be appropriately applied;
- points to areas where curriculum and staff development are necessary;
- provides the data and information for use in institutional planning, resource allocation, and reporting on specific achievements for AQIP, MnSCU, and progress on institutional goals.
Information for the process: I: Program Overview. The purpose is to give a description of the program(s) being reviewed. The basic information on this form is provided by faculty, with assistance as needed from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. II: Program Vitality Analysis is compiled on each program on a yearly basis. The information on this form is gathered by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Information is provided from ISRS, from the Dean of Academic Affairs/HR and from the Business Office. III. Program Effectiveness Analysis is compiled on a three-year cycle. 2005-06: Business programs - Accounting
- Administrative Support
- Medical Secretary
- Sales, Marketing and Management
2006-07: Industrial Technoloy programs - Automotive Service Technology
- Carpentry
- Construction Electricity
- Forestry Technology
- High Performance Engine Machining
- Industrial Model Making
- Residential Plumbing/HVAC
2007-08: Health and Human and Protective Services programs - Child Care and Young Child Education
- Dental Assisting
- Massage Therapy
- Nursing
- Practical Nursing
2008-09: Business programs - Accounting
- Administrative Support
- Medical Secretary
- Sales, Marketing and Management
- Supervisory Leadership
2009-10: Industrial Technology programs - Automotive Service Technology
- Carpentry
- Construction Electricity
- Forestry Technology
- High Performance Engine Machining
- Industrial Model Making
- Residential Plumbing/HVAC
2010-11: Health and Human and Protective Services - Child Care and Young Child Education
- Dental Assisting
- Fire Service
- Massage Therapy
- Nursing
IV. Process A. College staff, with the assistance of program faculty, will complete the Part I: General Information and Part II: Program Vitality summary of the previous three years’ data, and program faculty will write a narrative Reflective Analysis which will be submitted to the Academic Dean and Division Chair one month before the scheduled review. B. Program faculty will present their report to the AASC for review at the scheduled time. Division Chair and Dean may provide additional information. C. The AASC will make observations and/or recommendations based on the analysis and presentation of the data presented in the review process. The AASC Chair will send the AASC analysis summarizing findings and providing recommendations to the Dean and Provost, who review the AASC report and add their analysis. The Dean and Provost may utilize this information as input to program decisions. D. The Dean meets with program faculty to present the analysis report. E. Program faculty, with Program Advisory Committee input, develops/revises a Program Action Plan based on the results of the analysis, as well as other program research and innovation ideas that can guide the improvement of the program. F. Program faculty implement Program Action Plan.
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